Mater



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

G. H. REYNOLDS.

GAS ENGINE.

Patented Oct. 80, 1883.

IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. REYNOLDS, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CORNELIUS H. DELAMATER, GEORGE H. ROBINSON, AND VILLIAM DELA- MATER, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,578, dated October 30, 1883.

Application filed May 15,1883. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ wlw/n t may concern Bc it known that I, GEORGE H. REYNOLDS, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Hy invention relates to that class of gasengines in which the mixture of gas and air is exploded at each alternate revolution of the engine only, while by the two strokes of each intermediate revolution the products of combustion are expelled from the cylinder and the mixture of gas and air is taken into the cylinder.

To this end my invention includes an improvement in the method of operating these engines, which consists in heating the air, preferably by the waste products of combustion, and in saturating it with water-vapor or steam while in a heated condition and before mixing it with the gas, so that the mixture of gas and air, when admitted to the cylinder, will not only be highly heated, but will be charged with vapor, which will be further heated bythe explosion, and will augment the effect of the air and gas. It is of great importance to heat the air before saturating it, as the amount of moisture which will be held in suspension by highly-heated air is many times greater than willbe held in suspension by cold air.

The invention also consists in a novel manner of arranging and combining a governor with the parts through which it acts to control the gasinlet valve, and preferably, also, an air-inlet valve; in a novel combination of parts for operating the exhaust or discharge valve, in a novel combination of parts for heating the air while at the atmospheric pressure by the waste products of combustion, and for sat-urating the air with water-vapor, in a novel combination of parts whereby the iiow of water to and from the jacket of the cylinder is controlled and the temperature of the water in the jacket kept as nearly uniform as possible; and in other combinations of parts hereinafter described, and referred to in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is l a side elevation of an engine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of a portion of the cylinder, the exhaust or discharge valve, and its appurtenances. Fig. 5 is aseotional elevation of an air-reservoir through which the air is admitted and wherein it is heated and saturated with water-vap or. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a valve and connect-ions which control the escape of highly-heated water from the jacket; and Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view upon a larger scale, showing the construction of the governor and the mode of connecting it with its operating-shaft.

Similar letters of reference designate correspending parts in all the figures.

A designates the cylinder; here shown as formed integral with the `frame A, and wherein is a piston such as is commonly used in gas-engines of the kind above referred to. rIlhe piston is attached to a connecting-rod or pitman, B, through which it transmits motion to the crankshaft B, upon which is mounted a ily-wheel, B2, a ily-wheel being mounted on each side, if so desired.

At the back end or head of the cylinder A is a mixing chamber or channel, A2, to the lower end of which is attached an air-reservoir, A3, here shown as in the form of a sphere. To the upper end of this chamber or channel A2 is attached the gas-inlet valve C, which may be of any suitable construction, and which receives gas from a supply-pipe, O.

Along the side of the engine there extends a shaft, D, which is connected with the crankshaft 'B by bevel-wheels D', so as to rotate in unison therewith. rlhis shaft D rotates in bearings c, and at its outer end has a pinion, D2, which gears into a spur-wheel, D3, mounted on a shaft, Dt, which projects through the back of the cylinder'. This is the usual shaft employed in gas-engines of this class, and carries at its inner end a disk-valve or rotary plate which controls the passage of the mixture of air and gas from the chamber or channel Al to the cylinder, and for an instant exposes the i gniting-j et, which is arranged in the recess b at the back of the cylinder. (Shown in Fie.

F2 and roller .f n, I arrange an oil-box, Fi', below the cone, and as the cone rotates its surface is kept covered with oil.

In engines of this class the governor has been heretofore arranged loosely on the shaft D, on which is the cam d, and operated by a belt from the shaft I). The shaft DL then moves slower than the governor, and the friction between them is sufficient to cause the belt to slip and thus impede the action of the governor. By placing the governor directly,

on the shaft D, I rotate itrapidly and directly, or without any belt or gearing, and I thus simplify the construction and secure a better and more sensitive action of the governor.

In the outer end of the governor socket or tube g is screwed a sleeve-nut, g', which is also internally screw-threaded, and receives through it a set-screw, gt, upon which is a jamnut, g IVithin the socket or tubeg is aspring, g, which bears at one vend on the end of the rod or pin F and at the other end on the sleeve-nut g', and within the spring is a rod or pin, g", which forms a stop to the rod F. The outward movement of the governor-arms F isopposcd by the spring g", and the rod can be moved outward by the increase ot' speed until its end strikes the stop-pin g", whereby its outward movement is limited. The tension ot the spring g" can be regulated by screwing the sleeve-init g into or out ci' the socket or tube g, and the position ot' the stop-pin g5 can be varied by shifting the set-screw gt' and securing it by the j ani-nut g. This arrangement of parts for setting and regulating the action of the governor'is very compact and simple, and is easily accessible.

I prefer to regulate/both the gas and air valves by t-he one governor, as it is obviously more desirable to do so; but each valve may be regulated by a separate governor without departing i'rom my invention.

rlhe construction ot' the exhaust-valve and the arrangement ot' mechanism for operating it are best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, but also in Fig. l. The exhaust-pipe Gv is connected, as here shown, with the side of the cylinder, and the passage into it 'from the cylinder is controlled by an inwardly-opening valve, 71., (sec Fig. 4,) the stem 7i. ot' which projects outward. rIhe valve is opened by the action ot' a cam, hi, on the shalt I), and is closed by a spring, It, (shown in. Fig. 2.) In gas-engines as now made the cam 71? acts directly on the end ot' the valve-stein h', and has a tendency to produce side wear or bend the stem. To obviate this detect I interpose between the stem and the cam a swinging arm, G, which is 'fulcrumed at it", as shown in Fi Li, and carries at its upper end a roller, h5. The end ot the valvestem lz. bears against, but is otherwise unconnected with, the swinging arm, and hence there is no side strain on the stem. i

In the gas-engines heretofore made the reservoir f serves simply to prevent the escape to the atmosphere of any gas which may rcmain in the mixing chamber or channel A2,

inasmuch as the gas tends to rise by reason ot its speciiic gravity, and the reservoir affords a large space, in the upper part of which the gas remains until Yadmitted to the cylinder. In my engine, however, the reservoir serves the additional purpose of a chamber for heating the air and saturating it with water-vapor prior to its admixture with the gas. A

I have represented the exhaust-pipe Gas 'passing through the air-reservoir A, as best shown in Fig. 5, and the products of combustion passing through this pipe keep it at a high heat, and the radiation therefrom into the reservoir Ai" heats the intiowing air before it becomes mixed with gas. By the hot air the gas is also heated, and therefore the mixture, when admitted to the cylinder, is in a hot state, and requires less heat to bring it to a proper temperature for its explosion to produce the best results.

I may obviously heat the air otherwise than by carryi ng the exhaust-pipe through the reservoir Ai; but this arrangement would be efiective, and clearly illustrates this feature of my invention.

The cylinder A comprises aj acket, fl', (shown in Fig.. 4,) as is common in gas-engines, and water is admitted to this jacket by a pipe, II, and escapes therefrom through a pipe, Il.

It isl desirable that the water in the jacket should be as hot as possible without allowing it to rise above the boiling-point; but heretofore there has been no means provided in gasengines for maintaining automatically a uniform high temperature of this water. rlhe means whereby I accomplish this result are shown in Figs. 2 and 6. In the discharge-pipe II is a straight section, H, and the passage ot' ot' liquid through it controlled by a valve,

j. (See 6.) In order to permit the escape of water from the jacket through the pipe H and its section II, this valve j must be opened. The valve j has a long stem, l7", extending through the pipe I-It and projecting beyond the same. The stem is provided with a screwthrcad, jt, and ahead, j", whereby it may be turned to set the valve toward or from its seat. The-pipe-section H2 and stem j are of dii'terent metals or materials having different degrees ot expansion. For example. I make the pipe I-I2 ot' iron, or a material having a low degree oi' expansion, and I make the valverod of zinc, or other metal having a high degrec ot expansion. The outlet ofthe pipe II is sutliciently high to reta-in the section Il2 always full oi' water, which has escaped from the jacket, and the heat ot` this water, accordingpto its temperature, produces a greater or lesser expansion and elongation ot' the stem j relatively to the pipe-section H2, and so holds the valve j' more or less open. The valve j, while the engine is in operation, will always be more or less open, and when the water in the jacket and in the pipe Ht becomes very highly heated and near or at the boiling-point IOO the stem j is elongated to its greatest extent, and opens the valve j wider to permit the water to escape more freely from the jacket, and consequently the cold water to be supplied more freely thereto. lf the water in the jacket and pipe H2 cools down to-an undesirably low temperature, the valve-stem j contracts and more nearly closes the valve, so asto cheek the escape of water from the jacket, and consequently the iiow of cold water into. the jacket. By this means the water in the jacket may be maintained at a uniform and high' temperature. Other arrangements of mechanism might, however, be employed to accomplish the same result.

From the water-discharge pipe H a pipe, l, leads to the reservoir A3, and is connected with an end section, l, which extends across ythe reservoir, above the exhaust-pipe G, as

shown in Fig. 5. In the pipe I is a valve, l2, (shown dotted in Fig. 2,) whereby the flow of water may be regulated. The section I is closed at the inner end, and is perforated on the under side with numerous small holes, as shown at i', through which water is delivered in fine jets or streams directly onto the hot exhaust-pipe G. This water is at once converted into vapor and taken up by the-heated air. The mixture of gas and air thus becomes saturated with vapor or steam, which passes into the cylinder and greatly augments the pressure produced .by the explosion of the gas.

lt is well known that air heated to a temperature of 200o Fahrenheit will take up and hold in suspension twentyto forty times as much water-vapor as/will air of the ordinary temperature ofthe atmosphere, and the advantage of heating the air which is tobe charged with vapor is clearly apparent. VNot only does the water-vapor or steam serve to increase the power of the engine, but it serves the additional purpose of lubricating the cylinder, which is an essential feature in gas-engines, because of the great heat generated in the cylinder.

The water or vapor for saturating the mixture of gas and air may be supplied from any other source than the water-jacket.

By heating the air and saturating it with vapor or steaml increase the power of the engine while using a given quantity of gas, or produce as much power while using a less quantity of gas.

What l claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The improvement in the method of operating an engine by an explosive mixture of gas and air, consisting in ,heating the air and saturating it with water-vapor or steam while in a heated condition and before mixing it with the gas, substantially as andfor the purpose herein described.

2. Theimprovement in the method of operating an engine by an explosive mixture of gas and air, consisting in heating the air by the waste products of combustion, and in saturating it with water-vapor or steam while in a heated condition and before mixing it with the gas, substantiallyas and for the purpose herein described. 1`

3. The combination, in a gas-engine, of a gasinlet valve, a shaft projecting rearward from the cylinder and carrying a cam, a side shaft geared directly with the engine crankshaft and with the shaft carrying said cam, a

`governor mounted directly upon said side shaft, and devices controlled by the governor and capable of operation by the said cam'for opening said gas-inlet valve, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination, with Vthe shafts D and D, geared together, and with the gas-,inlet valve C, ofthe lever d, carrying an incline or wedge, `the cam e for raising said lever, and a `governor mounted directly on theshaft D, and

serving to shift said lever tially as herein described.

5. The combination, with the shafts D D, geared together, and with the gas-inlet valve C, of the lever d, the wedge or inclined piece d', adjustably secured to said lever, "the cam e',

d endwise, substancarried by the shaft D4, and a governor mounted directly on the shaft D,and serving to shift the lever d endwise, substantially as herein described.

6. The combination, with the shafts D DL and the gas-inlet valve C, of the lever d, earrying a wedge or incline, the valve-stem c, bearing upon but having no other connection with said lever, the cam e on the shaft D, and a governor mounted directly on the shaft D,

IOO

and serving to shift the lever d endwise, sub-l stantially as herein described.

7. The combination, with the gas and air inlet valves of a gas-engine and devices for operating them, of a lsingle governor acting upon said devices to regulate the admission of both gas and air, and means for adjusting said air-valve independently of the action of the governor, substantially as and for the purpose herein described. Y

8. The combination, with the gas-inlet valve G and the air-valve e, of the lever d, carry- ,ing an incline or wedge, the shaft D4 and its cam, the lever E, connected with the air-valve e3 and with the lever d, the shaft'D, carrying the sliding cone F2, and a governor on the shaft D, for shifting said cone, herein described.

9. The combination of the shaft D4 and its .cam e', the lever d, with its incline or wedge,

the air-valve e3, the lever E, connected at one end with the end of the lever d, and the rod c4, connecting the other end of the lever E with the air-valve e3, and made adjustable in length, substantially as herein described.

l0. The combination', with the exhaustvalve lz, having an outwardly-projecting stem, and the shaft D, carrying the cam h2, for operating said valve, of the swinging arm G', interposed between the caln and valve-stem, substantially as herein described.

substantially as 11. The combination ol the exhaust-valve 71., the shaft D and its cam lf, and the interposed swinging arm G' and its roller h5, substantially as herein described.

12. The combinati on,with the mixing-chain ber of a gas-engine and an air-reservoir connected therewith, and wherein air is contained at the atmospheric pressure, oi1 an exhaust-pipe leading to said reservoir, forheating the air therein by the waste products of combustion while the air is at the atmospheric pressure and before its admixture with the gas, substantially as and for the purpose described.

13. The combination of the mixing-chamber A2, the air-reservoir A, wherein air is contained at the atmospheric pressure, and the exhaust-pipe G, extending through the airreservoir, for heating the air while at atmospheric pressure and before its admixture with the gas, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

14. The combination, with an engine capable or" operation by an explosive mixture oi' gas and air, of an air-reservoir through which air passes to the mixing-chamber of the engine, and wherein the air is at atmosphericpressure, means for heating the air in said reservoir by the waste products of combustion from the cngine, and means for delivering` water or steam into said reservoir, whereby the air is both heated andfsaturated while at atmospheric pressure and before its admixture with the gas, substantially as and i'or the purpose herein described.

15. The combination, with an engine capable of operation by an explosive mixture of gas and air, of an air-reservoir through which air passes to the mixing-chamber ofthe engine, an exhaust-pipe passing through said reservoir, and another pipe, also entering said reservoir, 'for discharging water upon said exhaustpipe, substantially as and for the purpose hercin described.

16. The combination, with an engine capable of operation by an explosive mixture of gas and air, and the cylinder of which is surrounded by a water-jacket, of an air-reservoir through which air passes to the mixing-chamber or" the engine, wherein the air is at atmospheric pressure, means for heating the air in said reservoir, and a pipe for conducting water from said jacket to said reservoir, for saturating the air therein, whereby the air is both heated and saturated while at atmospheric pressure and before its admixture with the gas, substantially' as and for the purpose herein described.

17. The combination, with a gas-engine provided with a water-jacket, of a valve for controlling the ilow of water through the jacket, and devices acted upon by the temperature of the water flowing from the jacket for regulating the opening allowed by the valve, substantially as herein described.

1S. The combination, with a gas-engine providedwith a water-jacket, of a discharge-pipe leading from the jacket, a valve controlling the passage of water through said pipe, and a valve-stem extending through said pipe, fixed at the end opposite the valve, and made of a material having a higher degree of expansion than the section of pipe in which it is arranged7 substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

19. lIhe combination, with the engine having a water-jacket, of the discharge-pipe having a section, H2, the valve j, and the valvestem j, made oi" a metal having a higher degree of expansion than the pipe-section H2, and provided with the screw-thread j2 and `head j, substantially as herein described.

GEO. H. REYNOLDS.

Witnesses Frinnx. HiixNns, ED. L. MORAN.

(Model.)

' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. D. B. SPOONER.

METHOD 0E AND REGISTERING MEGHANISM FOR DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OP THE FLOW OE WATERTHROUGH A METER.

N0. 287,588. Patented Oct. 30, 1883.

Dm nU T. N E V N n- B- SPOUNER, BY Handi-#v60 WTNEEEEE;

ATTY5 

